Dry day aids flood fighters

Sept. 25, 2010 12:00 AMAssociated Press

OWATONNA, Minn. - Several towns across southern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin grappled Friday with a flood threat brought on by a powerful storm system that dumped almost a half-foot of rain on the region a day earlier.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated, including 70 in Owatonna, a town of 24,000 about 65 miles south of Minneapolis.

Friday was dry for much of the region, giving a respite to emergency workers. But rain was back in the regional forecast for today, although not nearly as much as Thursday's downpours.

In Arcadia, Wis., about 90 minutes east of Owatonna, water was receding from downtown Friday. Businesses were open and drawing crowds. A day after emergency officials evacuated 343 homes, some residents were returning as the creeks that flooded downtown dipped.

Meanwhile, in southeastern Minnesota, more than a dozen homes near a dam in the small town of Oronoco were evacuated Friday for fear that torrential rains had weakened the dam. Not far away, all of Zumbro Falls' 180 residents were evacuated as rising floodwaters threatened access.